SCLakes.com

Back on Uncle Sam's plantation


Star Parker - Syndicated Columnist





Six years ago I wrote a book called Uncle Sam's Plantation. I wrote the book to tell my own story of what I saw living inside the welfare state and my own transformation out of it.

I said in that book that indeed there are two Americas -- a poor America on socialism and a wealthy America on capitalism.

I talked about government programs like Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Job Opportunities and Basic Skills Training (JOBS), Emergency Assistance to Needy Families with Children (EANF), Section 8 Housing, and Food Stamps.

A vast sea of perhaps well-intentioned government programs, all initially set into motion in the 1960s, that were going to lift the nation's poor out of poverty.

A benevolent Uncle Sam welcomed mostly poor black Americans onto the government plantation. Those who accepted the invitation switched mindsets from "How do I take care of myself?" to "What do I have to do to stay on the plantation?"

Instead of solving economic problems, government welfare socialism created monstrous moral and spiritual problems -- the kind of problems that are inevitable when individuals turn responsibility for their lives over to others.

The legacy of American socialism is our blighted inner cities, dysfunctional inner city schools, and broken black families.

Through God's grace, I found my way out. It was then that I understood what freedom meant and how great this country is.

I had the privilege of working on welfare reform in 1996, passed by a Republican Congress and signed 50 percent.

I thought we were on the road to moving socialism out of our poor black communities and replacing it with wealth-producing American capitalism.

But, incredibly, we are going in the opposite direction.

Instead of poor America on socialism becoming more like rich American on capitalism, rich America on capitalism is becoming like poor America on socialism.

Uncle Sam has welcomed our banks onto the plantation and they have said, "Thank you, Suh."

Now, instead of thinking about what creative things need to be done to serve customers, they are thinking about what they have to tell Massah in order to get their cash.

There is some kind of irony that this is all happening under our first black president on the 200th anniversary of the birthday of Abraham Lincoln.

Worse, socialism seems to be the element of our new young president. And maybe even more troubling, our corporate executives seem happy to move onto the plantation.

In an op-ed on the opinion page of the Washington Post, Mr. Obama is clear that the goal of his trillion dollar spending plan is much more than short term economic stimulus.

"This plan is more than a prescription for short-term spending -- it's a strategy for America 's long-term growth and opportunity in areas such as renewable energy, healthcare, and education."

Perhaps more incredibly, Obama seems to think that government taking over an economy is a new idea. Or that massive growth in government can take place "with unprecedented transparency and accountability."

Yes, sir, we heard it from Jimmy Carter when he created the Department of Energy, the Synfuels Corporation, and the Department of Education.

Or how about the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 -- The War on Poverty -- which President Johnson said "...does not merely expand old programs or improve what is already being done. It charts a new course. It strikes at the causes, not just the consequences of poverty."

Trillions of dollars later, black poverty is the same. But black families are not, with triple the incidence of single-parent homes and out-of-wedlock births.

It's not complicated.. Americans can accept Barack Obama's invitation to move onto the plantation. Or they can choose personal responsibility and freedom.

Does anyone really need to think about what the choice should be?

"The trouble with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money."

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God Bless America, Land that I love

It's only a gambling problem if you lose

Could not be any more accurate. I survived Johnson's 2 wars...Poverty and Vietnam.
I sat in Jimmy Carter's gas lines and pumped my gas on even numbered days.
We have now spent Trillions (Who can think in trillions???) of dollars (sorry, not actually spent but authorized) in stimulus funds which was supposed to create millions of jobs. ZILCH -Un-employment rises!
The State of S.C. has received $386 Million. Where did it go?? It went to education to fund positions that would have been funded in any event.It didn't create any jobs.

Now it is proposed to spend at least $1 Trillion + dollars on health care reform for only 1/3 of those who are unensured and provide health care to ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS (Criminals). More than likely rolling your private ins. coverage, if you have it, into a Government run health care provider.

I am old enough to have Medicare coverage and lucky enough to have a Dr. that will accept the ridiculous amounts they pay for services.The most recent (2 weeks ago) was a blood test I had to have after my cardiologist doubled my lasix dose. They paid the lab a whopping $18.

What kind of medical care will we have when the Gov't. is the ONLY source of payment to the providers.

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I have a ROCK GARDEN. Yesterday 3 of them died!!!!!!

OUR Gov. MARK SANFORD WILL LOOK OUT FOR YOU!

This so funny, He wanted to cut out UNEMPLOYMENT cause he didn't see a problem with OUR jobs being cut.

He wanted to refuse the STIMULUS MONEY, BECAUSE HE didn't thunk we needed it.

WHILE "HE" was getting a "STIMULATION" package from "ARGENTINA"!

YEP ANOTHER ONE OF THE "ELECTED" OFFICIALS WORKING WITH TAX PAYER MONIES AND DOING WHAT HE "THOUGHT" WAS BEST FOR "US".

WELL WHEN WILL I GET MY "STIMULATION"??

HEALTH CARE IS A JOKE!
STIMULUS MONEY, WHERE IS IT AT??
MR. SANFORD TELLS US THERE ARE JOBS, WHERE????

I HOPE MRS. SANFORD TAKES HIS BUTT TO THE CLEANERS. I HOPE SHE GETS IT ALL AND HE HAS TO APPLY FOR ONE OF THESE JOBS THAT ARE OUT THERE.

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Joey

Keep It Wet! Take One Make One! Hooked On Fishing Not On Drugs! In God We Trust! Happy Trails To You Until we Meet Again!

Yes BMan, "more elected officials doing what they think is best" and you don't
to understand the deception anymore...it's just all hanging out.

The columnist quoted said " through God's grace he found his way out"...he needs to go further (we all do) until we all see the hypocrisy and self-righteousness that ruins all of us, that's in all of us. Man is not great, (he just makes himself to be), no country is great and anyone who thinks that way is DECEIVED.

If what Sanford has done to himself (and others) helps him to humble and draw near to God, then it will be worth it for him. There are a whole lot of So Carolinians
who know now he never gave them a thought...he had a silver spoon from the beginning, married into wealth, and how could he possibly relate to folks struggling?

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PeanutMan

While I didn't aways agree with Sanfords thinking I did think he was an honorable person. I am now angry and think he needs to resign. He said Clinton needed to go when his sex thing was found out so now he needs to follow that thought and go out the door.

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God Bless America, Land that I love

It's only a gambling problem if you lose